Promise of the Hands
by CeruleanRipTide
Summary: There is an accident aboard the Going Merry and Zoro is to blame. What will Sanji do without the use of his precious hands? Most likely a TWO-SHOT


Promise of the Hands

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Disclaimer: Yeah… as much as I would love to have them all to myself these characters aren't mine. Sad fact of life

Warning: Only sailor language so far

Summary: There is an accident aboard the Going Merry and Zoro is to blame. What will Sanji do without the use of his precious hands?

A/N: Hey! Yeah, I think this will be a TWO-SHOT. I hope it comes out okay. Just a random scene I had thought up one day and decided to write about it. Btw, I don't really know if what Sanji's talking about actually sounds appealing lol (You'll see later), but I like some of those things so I shoved them on there. Anyways, let me know what you think! Enjoy! : )

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The Hands

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It had started off like so many other days.

The sun would slowly creep its way over the never-ending horizon of the sea, mixing its rays of light with the deep blues of the ocean, and eventually casting its warmth over the many ships that littered the waters.

The first sign of light. That was a sailors' delight. The presence of the sun meant the promise of a new adventure and a novel romance. The day was a wondrous thing for those at sea where life was always beautiful.

It was inspiring.

However, today would be a day that changed the lives and perspectives of two ever-bickering pirates aboard the Going Merry.

Sanji was the first to wake. The life of a sea cook began early and over the years of his training to become such, he had developed an internal alarm clock for rising at such an hour. Ever since his time as a cook in the days before Zeff, he had been roused at dawn by his caretakers. When Zeff had come into his life, the former pirate continued that tradition with a little less loving manner than Sanji's former mates, causing him to learn quickly how to rise early of his own accord.

The blonde chef opened his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the new day before turning on his back to stare at the creaky wooden ceiling of the men's quarters. He could hear the snores and accompaniment of odd noises of his crewmates who remained active even in their sleep.

It was routine for him to use this time to brainstorm.

He pulled out a cigarette, pressing the butt to his mouth, holding it firmly between his lips before lighting the other end up and inhaling the nicotine.

What would he make for breakfast?

What would he make for lunch?

What would he make for dinner?

And what about snack and small delights for the girls?

These were the things he would think about in that small period where he had begun to wake.

He released a cloud of smoke into the air.

Buttermilk pancakes with fruit topping. A dab of whipped cream and a side of sausage…

Beef and barely soup with complementary sandwiches to hold them off…

Zinfandel pasta with creamy clam king sauce. Marinated lemon chicken breasts and fresh green beans…

Piňa colada's and sweet, crispy, and light baklava for the lovelies…

The blonde chef reviewed the tall order in his mind a few more times, making a few adjustments here and there so that the meals would have complementing components. That was one of the challenges of being a chef, having good taste.

Once the order was finalized, Sanji sat up quietly from his hammock, stepping over the swordsman who had opted for the floor the previous night. The chef made a face at the green haired man who snored softly with his arms behind his head and legs crossed.

It was yet another scuffle between the cook and the swordsmen that led to a broken hammock and a money pinching navigator with a very big headache that led to the blonde and the green haired man to take turns sleeping in the hammock. It had been Zoro's fault anyhow so Sanji didn't see why he had to take the floor every other night.

The urge to kick the swordsman was strong, but he resisted it in favor of prepping breakfast for the more important members of the crew: Nami and Robin.

Stepping out onto the deck, a slight chill ran through the cook's spine as he adjusted to the cooler breeze of the morning versus the near tropical climate inside the men's quarters that the residents seemed to radiate.

Pausing for only a moment to smell the salty air and feel the tang of the morning atmosphere, he moved across the ship to the galley door. He stopped as he was about to open it and looked up towards the crows next.

"Oi!" he called out to whoever was on duty. He was rewarded with a tired looking reindeer poking his cute face over the side of the crows' nest. He gave a smile at the youngest member of the crew and a small wave. "'Morning!"

A bright smile crossed the furry face and he waved back, looking less tired than a moment ago.

"Good morning, Sanji!"

With that Sanji set off into the kitchen to prepare a spectacular breakfast for the crew who he knew would be awaiting his services the moment they awoke. He didn't have much time before that happened so he had to work quickly.

111

Zoro was tired.

Morning was hell for him as he was always rudely awakened by some of the lesser considerate members of the crew. They could never wake up quietly; it always had to be with a bang.

Then there was the light. He loved sleeping in the sun, allowing the warm rays to radiate his tanned skin. It was a comfortable and enjoyable feeling for him as he slept. However, he did not appreciate sleeping in the darkness of the men's quarters and suddenly have the obnoxiously bright ray in his eyes, all but prying them open and robbing him of his dearly beloved sleep.

However, that was one thing that did brighten his morning and give him a jump start on his day. Food.

He wasn't desperately reliant on food like his fool of a captain, but it was a necessity for his body and it gave him the strength he needed to complete his training.

Too bad breakfast was prepared by a curly-browed love-cook…

Though he had to admit, Sanji's food wasn't half bad. Was it anything special in his opinion? Sometimes the food was amazing and other times it was not half bad. It was definitely better than most, but what he really admired in the blonde's cooking was not the taste, but the power.

Zoro was one who appreciated and respected those who did not give up and tried harder each time, never giving up. That is why he followed Luffy of all people. The boy was determined to a fault and Zoro felt his determination was something he would risk his life for.

So here was Sanji, a chef who's cooking was either insulted or been called "so-so," by a crewmate that he did not get along with particularly well. Instead of sinking to a low and ignoring Zoro's comments and honest critiques, he tried harder to impress the swordsman with his skills.

Sanji's determination was reflected in his cooking. His passion, his drive, his motive, it all went into the food he prepared for others and that nearly drove starving men to tears. That was what was great about his food.

Zoro was sure that he could absorb the energy that the blonde had put into the food. He always felt so much more alive after eating one of the cook's meals and it's one of the few things he looked forwards to in the morning.

Not that he'd ever tell the love-cook…

112

Breakfast was always the most hectic time of the day for the crew because it meant their captain had gone without food for at least eight hours and that he was starving. It was a "defend your food or starve" sort of situation. Some got away with half of what they started with and others were lucky if they got anything at breakfast time. Thankfully, unbeknownst to Luffy, Sanji would sneak them snacks later if they were that unfortunate… The blonde had a weakness for the hungry.

So when the galley doors flew open it was no surprise that Luffy was the first one in threw the doors, his voice too loud and his personality too energetic for the morning hours. The rest of the crew was not far behind; the ladies taking their time, knowing their plates would be untouched and reserved.

It was chaos and havoc until the last piece of food was eaten and the bedlam began to die down to nothing outside of daily squabbles.

Nami was the first to leave, seeing as how she needed to map out their course for the day and if she had the free time, she could work on her maps that she loved to draw.

Robin soon followed without a word, finding a comfortable place on the sunny deck of the Going Merry, a book finding its place in her delicate hands.

Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper rushed up in a hurry to do lord knows what. Sanji didn't particularly care as long as they were out of the galley so he could clean up and as long as they weren't bothering the ladies.

Sanji breathed a sigh of relief as the galley emptied of its members, leaving it nice and quiet and giving him the peace he needed after a hectic morning of preparing breakfast for his ever vivacious crew.

Without his destructive nakama present, he would be able to clear the table without breaking any dishware. It would then be time for him to prepare the snacks for the ladies and prep some lunch.

Sanji stalked over to the table and picked up a few of the plates, listening to the clinking of the fine China and crystal glasses his lovely Nami-swan had bargained with an islander for. In the midst of the fragile noise, he heard a soft breath, causing him to halt his duties and listen more carefully for the noise.

A soft noise.

It wasn't his imagination he was sure of it, so he carefully placed the dishes back on the table and peered over to the other side of it, following the noise with his eyes.

What he saw there on the bench set off a red flag in his head and he immediately felt enraged. His blood boiled and his annoyance meter rose a few levels as he examined the sweaty and sleeping form of his green haired crewmate sprawled out on the other table bench.

He stalked over to the other side, full out ready for a confrontation with the unsuspecting swordsman.

If there was one place Sanji had to himself, it was the galley and he welcomed his crewmates in it to be fed. However, he expected them to _leave_ after their business had been completed.

His sanctuary was in _no_ way a sleeping quarters.

"Oi!"

113

Robin sat peacefully on the deck, reading one of her newest additions to her collection of books. The navigator had retreated to her room and the boys were playing around on the opposite side of the ship, out of her view.

So when Zoro came crashing through the door of the galley, tumbling a few feet after hitting the ground, she was not at all surprised. It was unexpected, but not particularly surprising. Every day was exciting on this ship; she mused and smiled to herself, returning to her pages.

The green haired man sat up wearily and held a hand to his head, rubbing the abused area before looking up sharply and yelling out at a certain blonde who had been responsible for the abuse.

"What the hell was that for you stupid love-cook!" Zoro did not see how he had deserved the treatment.

Sanji stepped through the hole in the galley door, hands in his pockets and cigarette in place, glaring daggers at the swordsman who was now getting to his feet.

"For sleeping in my kitchen you shithead, marimo!" Sanji shot back and Zoro fumed.

"I can sleep wherever the hell I want!" Zoro tried to make a point that the ship did not belong to Sanji and that the galley was a communal area designated to all of the crew.

"You have the whole ship to drop your sweaty ass down and sleep, so don't start leaking your testosterone in here! Or else I'll shave your ugly green head and use it as seasoning in your food!" the blonde chef retorted.

The name calling and bickering was nothing out of the ordinary the archaeologist acknowledged the conversation a little. They were amusing to listen to, but it hadn't surprised her in the least that they were arguing. It was what the cook and the swordsman did best.

The small vein of patience in Zoro's head popped and suddenly he found himself in a familiar situation with all his swords bared and a certain blonde with arms in the air and a fierce kick blocking his attack.

They exchanged fiery looks before being pushed back by the force of the others attack.

Robin glanced at the small battle out of the corner of her eye.

Their quarrels were nothing of the malicious sort. It was just something they did to express their anger or annoyance with one another seeing as though they had the abilities and skills to stand up to one another.

On another note, it was a great way to relieve physical stress from their pent up and confined life at sea and for the two at hand, it was also a form of bonding. Despite their constant bickering and fighting, the two respected one another deeply and held some form of strong rivaling friendship, Robin noted quickly before returning to her text.

Steel clashed with the soles of Sanji's shoes as he parried the attacks. The two were evenly matched in ability, though neither was really trying to harm the other. It was more of a show and display of frustration for the other.

"_Ahhhh_!!" the sharp cry came out, soon followed by the clinking of metal on the deck.

However, Robin decided, it was surprising… Surprising and alarming when she looked up to see the blood of her nakama dripping onto the wooden deck of the Going Merry.

Sanji leaned over, limply holding his hands between his legs as rivers and streams of blood poured down his hands, dripping off his fingers. He cursed, clenching his eyes in pain; his cigarette had long since fallen from his mouth.

Zoro stood wide eyed, lips set in a firm line, his cursed sword fallen at his side. There was a heavy feeling in his gut.

Nami came out of her cabin to see what the ruckus was about. She made her way to the railing, leaning on her elbows to study the scene in front of her.

"Hey, you two. What's going-," she paused when the situation took hold of her and she reeled back, holding her hands to her mouth with a gasp.

At that time Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper ran over to the stairs, peering down them at the sight before them. It took them a minute to realize what was going on before all hell broke loose.

"Oh! Sanji! What happened?" Luffy questioned the cook, not seeing any danger, but still concerned for his crewmate.

"Sanji's bleeding!" Usopp announced to the world, clasping the sides of his head in alarm.

"Blood! Blood! Blood! Call a doctor! Wait! I'm the doctor!" Chopper ran around in circles, obviously in distress about the situation before running over to the patient, taking charge.

Zoro watched silently, without a word.

"What have I done?"

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Next Chapter: The Promise

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A/N: O.o Definitely one of my shorter stories (some of my chapters can last 60 pages). Okay, so I think I'm going to end this at two chapters because I LOVE writing friendship fics, but I also want to write a Zosan one because I haven't yet and that's a pairing that I love (some of you might have noticed I write a lot of shonen-ai fics that borderline the friendship barrier because I have problems making people lovey dovey ;.; ). But I also want to use the Sanji in this story. So I think I'll make a sequel to this that will be Zosan. But for now, Promise of the Hands will remain just friendship for those who aren't Zosan fans.

But I think I'll have to work on my "Absence of a Swordsman" fic before I write the sequel to this... I swear I'm almost done with the second chapter!! And I need to finish my Naruto fic… badly… (it's over 200 pgs and only halfway done )


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